The Blind Men and The Elephant - Mastering Project Work

PREFACE: NAIVE BEGINNINGS 1: THE BLIND MEN “The Blind Men and the Elephant” 1 Challenging Our Certainty Confusing Ourselves Choosing More Appropriate Frames of Reference A Different Set of Possibilities 2: THE ELEPHANT An Elephant We Cannot See Masters and Slaves Fragmenting along Predictable Lines Disclosing Our Delusion Liberating Ourselves “That Each by Observation Might Satisfy His Mind” 3: THE WALL Festina Lente—Hasten Slowly Meeting My Wall (Again) Discovering What I Want Juiciness “God Bless Me! but the Elephant Is Very Like a Wall!” 4: THE SPEAR The Tale of a Very Bad Soldier Monitoring My Metaphors “To Me ’Tis Mighty Clear, This Wonder of an Elephant Is Very Like a Spear!” 5: THE SNAKE Who’s Here With You? Trusting Snakes Sorry Sort of Safety Snake Hunting Tit for Tat How Badly Do You Want Them to Win? “I See,” Quoth He, “the Elephant Is Very Like a Snake!” 6: THE TREE “101 Reasons Why I Can’t Plan Yet” “I Think That I Will Never See ...” There’s No Such Thing As a Project Unavoidable Blind Spots Imposing Disorganization How Work Really Gets Done Central Organizing Principle “’Tis Clear Enough the Elephant Is Very Like a Tree!” 7: THE FAN No One Is Apathetic Except in Pursuit of Someone Else’s Goal Fanning the Flame or Stirring the Breeze? Three-Part Conversation Creating a Village Idiot “Deny the Fact Who Can, This Marvel of an Elephant Is Very Like a Fan!” 8: THE ROPE Will Rogers Was an Artist with a Rope Sitting Comfortably Just Like the Real World Coherence Emerges Encouraging Coherence “I See,” Quoth He, “the Elephant Is Very Like a Rope!” 9: THEOLOGIC WARS A Heretic’s Homecoming “And Prate about an Elephant Not One of Them Has Seen!” BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR